Enhancing democratic dialogue in Mostecko

The project could benefit almost any resident of the region who is interested in independent opinions and analyses that are not subservient to local interest groups. A special group of users is the local Romani population, whose problems in this region have been the focus of Alarm's editorial staff for a long and continuous period.

Local branch of Alarm aims to regularly cover all the pressing issues of the region, with an emphasis on topics that we have been addressing for a long time - especially the living standards of the most vulnerable segments of society, combating discrimination and enhancing the social life of marginalized groups, social and economic inequalities, housing crisis, the climate crisis and the just transition of historically mining-dependent areas. The Mostecko micro-region is unique in that all these crises intersect there at the same time. It is for this reason that it will be a suitable test area for our longer-term project and will also illustrate the differences between reporting on these topics from the national capital and how this work will be transformed by a constant editorial presence in the region.

Independent reporting on local issues and local government policy that has the ambition to highlight the problematic aspects of this governance is virtually non-existent in the region. For this reason, it is important that quality journalism, operating in the public interest, is systematically extended to these areas.

This project would thus be a test pilot to show us how to proceed in this longer-term project: to strengthen and involve local voices in nationwide media coverage. In the future, our team would like to create a network of regional editorial offices that will operate autonomously under the Alarm umbrella. 

Local branch of Alarm aims to regularly cover all the pressing issues of the region, with an emphasis on topics that we have been addressing for a long time - especially the living standards of the most vulnerable segments of society, combating discrimination and enhancing the social life of marginalized groups, social and economic inequalities, housing crisis, the climate crisis and the just transition of historically mining-dependent areas. The Mostecko micro-region is unique in that all these crises intersect there at the same time. It is for this reason that it will be a suitable test area for our longer-term project and will also illustrate the differences between reporting on these topics from the national capital and how this work will be transformed by a constant editorial presence in the region.

Independent reporting on local issues and local government policy that has the ambition to highlight the problematic aspects of this governance is virtually non-existent in the region. For this reason, it is important that quality journalism,operating in the public interest, is systematically extended to these areas.

This project would thus be a test pilot to show us how to proceed in this longer-term project: to strengthen and involve local voices in nationwide media coverage. In the future, our team would like to create a network of regional editorial offices that will operate autonomously under the Alarm umbrella.

Target group

Apart from the nationwide Deník, no major media outlet operates directly in the region, which creates the conditions for a media desert. The influence of regional editorial offices on shaping local public debate is very limited. The media are seen as part of wider political and business ties and truly independent and authentic journalism does not work here. If the region and its problems are discussed at all, it is often through the interventions of larger media outlets with national coverage. In this case, however, there is a partially justified impression that local events are evaluated and judged by people from elsewhere.

Goals of the project

• For the purposes of the pilot project we will develop a separate landing page and a category within DenikAlarm.cz, where the content of the regional editorial team will be showcased, published and prepared for wider distribution.
• Strengthen and involve local voices in nationwide media coverage.
• Create a roaster of local reporters and correspondents with hands-on experience in community engagement, awareness of local problems and vast network of contacts in the region, with a very special emphasis on diversity of voices represented.
• We aim to produce quality independent journalism specifically for local readers, taking into account their needs and interests. This service is therefore not just more news about the region; it's a digital space with the people from the region and by them, truly embodying their voices and experiences.
• This pilot project can show us to which extent it is possible to communicate the issues that Alarm has been working on for a long time directly in the regions most affected by these problems and what effect it will have on the local community.